VTG Zuni BEAR FETISH Figure Soapstone Turquoise Coral Purple Sugilite MIniature

This vintage Zuni bear fetish figure is a stunning piece of Native American art. Handmade in the United States, this bear is crafted from soapstone and adorned with turquoise, coral, and purple sugilite stones. The bear has an arrow made of various semi precious stones along with turquoise eyes. The soapstone or steatite the artist selected is gray and purple color and exhibits tooling marks from being cut incised ground and polished to the desire shape. These type of charm items have historically been associated with medicine bags used by shamans, this said we believe this item was made for commercial purposes many decades ago. Originates from the Four Corners region including Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico in the Southwestern US.